Kenya: Tribal clash kills 7; police blame politics

A young boy is assisted by a Kenya Red Cross officer, carried into the Malindi District Hospital where his mother is being treated after she was attacked by machete wielding attackers who invaded the Nduru village in Tana delta coastal Province, Kenya, Tuesday Jan. 9, 2013. Some ten people were left dead as fresh ethnic violence erupted Tuesday, and further violence sparked off when administration police officers arrived to restore peace and secure the area. (AP Photo)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Police in Kenya say seven people have been killed in tribal violence.

The Wednesday deaths came near the Tana River in eastern Kenya after more than 100 people launched an attack on a local village.

Coast Province police chief Aggrey Adoli said several houses were set on fire. The attackers are believed to be from the Pokomo community, while those killed are from the Orma community.

Adoli said there is deep rooted hatred between the communities caused by political competition. He said police are investigating politicians, businessmen and powerbrokers from the region for allegedly instigating the violence.

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More than 100 people have been killed in a series of running clashes in the region.

Violence in the region could flare in early March when Kenya holds national elections.